Reader Feedback on the Hughes Stadium Land Ballot Measures

Reader Feedback on the Hughes Stadium Land Ballot Measures

In response to IndivisibleNOCO’s September 16 newsletter article explaining why there are multiple items related to the use of the Hughes Stadium land on the Fort Collins ballot and why we support ballot measure 2H, we received an email from a reader stating: “According to information I received from Friends of Hughes Natural Area the Citizen Assembly advised neither the establishment of a wildlife center nor a bike park. The position statement provided by Indivisible seems to be implying the opposite. This leaves me feeling confused, not informed.” She went on to say that when she signed the petition for the measure on the 2021 ballot (where Fort Collins voters approved the purchase of the land), she thought it was to establish a natural area, not a recreational center.  

The reader brought up the issue that most concerns us about the citizen-initiated measure (303).  It appears that she received information from the Friends of Hughes Natural Area that is not supported by publicly available records and documents.

The language on the 2021 ballot provided clear instructions for the City to purchase the land for "the purpose of using it for parks, recreation and open lands, natural areas and wildlife rescue and education." The plan represented by 2H is the culmination of significant input from community members through multiple engagement opportunities, including participation in the Civic Assembly process. The Hughes Civic Assembly elicited community input, and the report that was presented to City Council -  and approved - includes the following recommendations:

• Returning the land to its natural state is not a realistic option; multiple experts advise that this land will not heal itself and work will be needed to restore it to its natural state. This is supported by the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, Rocky Mountain Raptor Program, High Plains Environmental Center, and other environmental groups who weighed in.

• Land should provide for multiple uses including a combination of bike park, open spaces, natural area, trails and conservation/education features. 

• Land should include restorative natural habitat features that are man-made or naturally-occurring to help restore portions of the site to its natural state. Can be tied to educational or conservation site features.

We encourage all of our readers to review the 2021 ballot measure, the Hughes Civic Assembly report and the City Council meeting where the report was approved. 

We find that Question 303 disregards Fort Collins voters’ wishes in 2021, the Civic Assembly recommendations in 2025 and City Council’s approval in 2025. It would also come at a great expense to the City by requiring an estimated $14million be reallocated from managing and protecting other natural areas to rehabilitating the entire Hughes Stadium land. We stand by our recommendation that voters vote yes on 2H and vote no on 303.